


Threads of Fate

by aviatrix8



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Action, Blood, Body Horror, Friendship, Humor, Mild Language, Monster of the Week, Multi, Nudity, Post-Series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-15
Updated: 2016-04-08
Packaged: 2018-05-20 04:31:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5991757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aviatrix8/pseuds/aviatrix8
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been a year since the Life Fibers have been defeated, yet their presence is still being felt in the world… New Life Fiber monsters have been turning up in Japan, and it’s up to Ryuko Matoi, Satsuki Kiryuin and their friends, to find a way to stop them. (Additional tags and characters to be added eventually)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New World Order

**Author's Note:**

> This fanfic is supposed to be my written sequel to Kill la Kill, and will hopefully have everything I’d want from a KLK sequel: action and humour, but with more of a superhero/sentai feel. And although the main characters will still be Ryuko and Satsuki (and eventually, Mako), I also want to focus a bit on as many of the other characters as possible, like the Elite Four. (BTW, some chapters will also be accompanied by my fanart, like the first one is.)

“Morning Ryuko!”

Ryuko opened her eyes, to find Mako’s upside down face, cheerfully smiling down on her. She could also feel the familiar weight of Guts sitting on her chest, and the less desirable feeling of him starting to drool all over her pajamas.

“All right, all right! I’m getting up, ‘kay?” said Ryuko, returning Mako’s smile with one of her own. She sat up from her futon, but not before picking up Guts by the collar and depositing him on the floor, where he scurried off, leaving a trail of drool in his wake.

“I just don’t want us to be late for school,” said Mako, bouncing towards the bathroom, as Ryuko trailed behind her, yawning. “We wouldn’t want to have to repeat the last year of high school, now would we?”

“Can’t have that,” grinned Ryuko. “Satsuki would never let me hear the end of it.”

As they both began to brush their teeth, Ryuko couldn’t help but think back to all that had happened, just a year ago…

As hard as it was for her to believe, it had only been a year since she and her friends defeated the Life Fibers, with Honnouji Academy sinking under Tokyo Bay, not long after that; it seemed like only yesterday that she had first arrived at Honnouji Academy, searching for her father’s killer…

Ryuko shook her head. So much had happened since then, that it made her head spin just thinking about it. And despite all the strange and horrible things that had happened to and around her, perhaps what was most amazing was how ordinary her life had now become; she had gone from being alone in the world, to living with a loving (if odd) family, and having a best friend, who was closer and dearer to her than a sister, than she cared to admit…

And speaking of sisters, she had that now, too; Satsuki was a far more caring older sister than she would expect, considering that she was Ryuko's former enemy. But Ryuko knew that her sister was at least trying to make up for her past sins as best as she could, as well as those of their family... And that Satsuki also had her friends by her side, to help out, as well.

Ryuko then felt a wistful pang, as she was reminded the one friend that was no longer with her… Senketsu. Even though she didn’t know him for very long, he was still a part of her, both literally, and figuratively, and his loss still stung. Still, Ryuko had promised to move on, for his sake, even though she sometimes wished she had gotten to know more about him…

“Ryuko? Is there something wrong?”

Ryuko came to herself, to find that she was now sitting at the breakfast table, with the entire Mankanshoku family gazing at her, with concerned looks on their faces. She had been so lost in thought, that she had gone through the motions of washing, dressing up and eating breakfast, without even thinking about it.

Hastily, Ryuko shook her head. “Nah, I’m fine. I just had something on my mind, that’s all.”

“Are you sure?” asked Barazo. “I could probably write a note to excuse you from school, if you need it.”

“No, really!” insisted Ryuko. “I really should to get to my classes, in case I have to miss any.”

“Such a conscientious student! I’m so proud!” smiled Sukuyo.

“Yeah, you’ve become such a goodie-goodie now, it’s almost disgusting,” sighed Mataro.

Mako bonked her little brother on the head. “Don’t be rude!”

Ryuko found herself smiling at the almost comforting babbling around the table, as Guts climbed into her lap, chased his tail for a bit, then settled down.

Beside her, Mako quickly downed the rest of her rice, and leapt to her feet. “C'mon Ryuko! We should really get going!”

“Right, right.” Finishing her own bowl of rice, Ryuko got to her feet, as Guts leapt down from her lap. “Thanks for the meal!”

As Ryuko grabbed her schoolbag and headed out the door with Mako, she found herself thinking about Senketsu again. To be honest, she hadn’t thought about him in a long while, because of how much it pained her to do so; but deep down, she knew that he would always be in her heart…

However, Ryuko also knew that the only reason she had been thinking about Senketsu again is because of what had been happening lately… She tried not to sigh aloud, as she toyed with the ring on her left thumb.

Just then, her phone chimed: 1 long tone, 2 short, then one very long one. Ryuko pulled out her phone and glanced at the message that had popped up on it… A frown then crossed her face.

Mako glanced over at Ryuko’s phone. “Is that a message from the Elite Four?”

“Yup. Sounds like something bad is going on downtown,” explained Ryuko.

“Aw… Guess you won’t be going to school with me today,” said Mako, with a pout.

“Don’t worry, I’ll catch up as soon as I can,” reassured Ryuko.

“Nah, I understand. You should get going, then!”

“Er… Right!”

Running behind the humble shed that was the Mankanshoku’s home, Ryuko emerged a moment later, riding a little red motorbike at full speed. As she rode past, Mako cheerfully waved at her.

“Have fun saving the world!” yelled Mako, as Ryuko flashed her a thumbs up, before disappearing around a corner.

***

Meanwhile, in downtown Tokyo, some… Thing, was standing in front of a local hospital.

There wasn’t really any better way to describe the creature, apart from it being huge, spiky, and seemingly made out of rock, or some dull metal. It stood stock-still, with its huge fists resting on the ground; it stood so still, in fact, that it could be mistaken for some strange choice of statue (assuming that the city would allow something so oddly monsterous, to be displayed).

However, the presence of the creature was keeping all people and vehicles (including ambulances) from even approaching the hospital, and causing all nearby witnesses to watch it warily, from a distance… Including a familiar quartet of teenagers, who were observing it from across the street.

“So that’s a Life Fiber mutation, huh?” murmured Sanageyama, as he and the Elite Four stared at the huge rock-like figure standing in the distance.

“It’s bigger than I thought,” mused Gamagori.

“Uglier too,” muttered Jakuzure.

“Well, then…” Inumuta pushed up his glasses with his right hand. As he did so, the ring on his pinkie gleamed; and upon the ring, was an oval gem with a 4-pointed star. Grinning, the rest of the Elite Four also held up their right hands, revealing that they were wearing similar rings, as well. “I guess it’s time to test these new transformation rings Iori made for us, hmmm?”

They all then cried out: “Life Fiber Transformation: 4-Star Generals!”

Gamagori held a fist over his heart, as metallic bands streamed from the golden gem on his index finger, and wrapped around his naked body. “4-Star Shackle Regalia!”

Sanageyama held a hand over his right eye, revealing a green gem on his middle finger, as stacking armour plates covered his body. “4-Star Blade Regalia!”

Jakuzure held a hand over her right ear, as musical bars streamed from the pink gem on her ring finger, enveloping her in pink hearts. “4-Star Symphony Regalia!”

Inumuta held a hand over his mouth and pushed up his glasses, as glowing circuit lines traced across his bare body, from the cyan gem on his pinkie. “4-Star Probe Regalia!”

With the Elite Four now fully transformed, Inumuta began to scan the creature with his brand new Probe Regalia, as the incoming data streamed across the interior of his face shield.

“Hmmm…” mused Inumuta aloud. “From what I can determine, that being is definitely covered in Life Fibers, armouring it in a substance that’s stronger than steel. However, my scan indicates that its armour is weakest around the midsection; therefore, that’s where it should be most vulnerable.”

“But where should we hit it exactly?” asked Gamagori, as he eyed the creature. “It’s covering its midsection with its arms right now.”

Inumuta pointed. “About where that mark on its waist is, see? The one with the two stars–”

“That’s all I needed to hear!” grinned Sanageyama, cutting him off. Wielding a crystalline sword, Sanageyama ran straight for the creature, as the rest of the Elite Four watched him, agape.

Jakuzure hid her face in her palm. “Aw geez, not again…"

As Sanageyama charged the creature, it turned to face this new attacker, in the metallic green armour… The monster then began pounding the ground, with its massive stony fists.

Sanageyama’s eyes widened, as the ground started to crack beneath him; he was then blown back, by the concussive force of the monster’s attacks.

As he skidded back towards the rest of the Elite Four, Sanageyama cursed under his breath. “Dammit, I can’t even get close enough to hit it!”

“Honestly, you dumb monkey…” sighed Jakuzure. “You want to embarrass us in front of the entire city?”

“Let me have a shot at it,” said Gamagori, as he tugged at the Egyptian flail he wielded; a match for the mummy-like armour he now wore. “Perhaps a long distance attack will be more effective!”

Gamagori cracked his flail like a a whip, the ends of it aiming at the monster’s weak spot; however, the creature managed to block these attacks, causing Gamagori to grit his teeth, in annoyance… He then extended the metallic bands from his armour, attempting to whip the monster with those as well, but that had no effect on it, either.

“Damn…” growled Gamagori, as he drew back his weapons. “Not even I can penetrate that creature’s defenses!”

“Hey Inumuta, don’t you have any other info we can use against this guy?” asked Sanageyama. He then looked around, as he realized that Inumuta was no longer standing with the rest of them. “Uh, where did he go…?”

Just then, the monster began pounding the ground with his fists again; the rest of Elite Four looked up just in time to see Inumuta knocked out of stealth, right in front of the creature. Leaping into the air, Inumuta flipped back towards the others, and landed right beside them.

“I tried to use optical camouflage to get in close enough to hit its weak spot, but it must’ve sensed my presence,” muttered Inumuta, as he adjusted his face shield.

Jakuzure just shook her head. “Nice try, Blue Streak.”

At this, Inumuta frowned. “You know I don’t care for that so-called superhero name you came up with.”

Jakuzure shrugged airily. “Whatever. Let me show you boys how it’s done,” she added, smirking, as she launched herself in the air with her jet boosters. “Too bad the rest of you guys can’t fly like I can, huh?”

“Some of us don’t need to fly to fight, you know!” retorted Sanageyama.

“Hmmm, what was that?” replied Jakuzure, her voice faint from being high up in the air. “I can barely hear the squeaks of dumb monkeys from up here!”

“You don’t need to hear, to see _this_ , do you?” snapped Sanageyama, as he flipped her off.

“Knock it off you two!” growled Gamagori.

“Agreed. If she can defeat that monster, then it hardly matters, does it?” said Inumuta. “Even if she will be insufferable for days…” he muttered to himself.

Meanwhile, Jakuzure was hovering just out of the monster’s reach, as it watched her warily. “Let see, what musical composition should I use against this thing?” she murmured to herself. She then brightened. “Oh, I know!”

Just as she was about to launch her attack, however, the monster raised its fists towards her. Jakuzure seemed caught off guard, but then her eyes narrowed.

“Like you can hit me from up here, you ugly freak!” she snarled. “Take this!” She launched a sonic attack from her shoulder-mounted speakers… Just as the monster began spinning its fists, aiming a pair of huge whirlwinds directly at Jakuzure.

Jakuzure barely had time to register this counterattack, when she was caught up in the whirlwinds; no longer able to control her flight, she found herself screaming.

“Jakuzure!” yelled the rest of the Elite Four, as the pink-haired girl fell to the earth, completely disoriented.

Just as she was about to crash land onto the ground, all three of the Elite Four boys moved in to catch Jakuzure, and cushion her fall.

Just then, Jakuzure snapped out of her daze; realizing what had happened, she shook her fists in frustration. “Put me down, you jerks!”

“Geez, ungrateful much?” muttered Sanageyama, as the rest of the Elite Four backed away from the tiny bundle of pink fury.

“Not so easy, was it, Scream Queen?” commented Inumuta, as Jakuzure glared at him.

“Who’s calling who names now?” she retorted.

Inumuta shrugged. “I thought it appropriate, since you were favouring that queenly look, now.”

“Not to mention your voice,” added Sanageyama.

At this, Jakuzure’s eyes narrowed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It’s still better than the name Sanageyama came up with for me,” muttered Gamagori.

“What’s wrong with with that name?” asked Sanageyama, looking hurt. “Nothing wrong with being called ’M’… The ’M’ is supposed to stand for ‘mummy’; you know, like your costume!”

At this, Jakuzure and Inumuta exchanged sidelong glances.

“That’s not what I thought the ’M’ stood for,” mumured Jakuzure.

“Agreed,” nodded Inumuta, causing Gamagori to glare at both of them.

“And you guys haven’t even come up with a superhero name for me yet, either,” complained Sanageyama.

“How about Butt Monkey?” snapped Jakuzure.

“Hey!”

“Um… Shouldn’t you guys be fighting that monster, instead of arguing with each other?” said a familiar voice behind them.

The Elite Four turned, all at once. “Matoi!”

Ryuko grinned sheepishly at them. “And as much as I miss you guys arguing, this isn’t the time, right?” At this, the Elite Four looked rather ashamed of themselves.

Ryuko then held up her left hand, revealing a ring with a red gem on her thumb. She then cried out, “Life Fiber Transformation: 5-Star General!”

As the red gem on her ring gleamed, Life Fiber threads streamed out from it, enveloping Ryuko, and then engulfing her in flames. “5-Star Hellion Regalia!”

Ryuko was now clad in what looked like a black and red biker outfit, complete with leather jacket, black cutoff shorts and flame-patterned stockings; there was also a wide red scarf tied around her neck.

Ryuko then pointed a thumb at the monster, who seemed to watch her warily. “So what’s the deal with this thing?” she asked the others.

“As you can tell, it’s heavily armoured,” explained Inumuta. “But there’s a weak spot on its midsection; where that two star mark is, see?”

“Gotcha. You guys stay back; I’ve got this,” said Ryuko firmly.

“Are you serious?” retorted Sanageyama. “None of us have been able to get close enough to even touch it, much less hit it hard enough to defeat it!”

“Just trust me, okay?” Ryuko then pulled the scarf off of her neck, and shook it out; it then hardened, and formed into a blade. Now armed with this weapon, Ryuko then charged the monster, head on.

Spotting this new attacker, the creature began pounding the ground with its fists again; but Ryuko leapt up in the air, before the reverberations could even reach her. The monster then switched tactics, as it aimed a pair of whirlwinds from its fists at her, but Ryuko managed to twist in midair, barely missing both of them.

Even then, Ryuko was nowhere close to hitting the monster, and was beginning to lose aerial momentum… That is, until she held out her blade, and cried out, “Scarf Blade, extend!”

The red blade elongated, swiftly speeding past the creature’s defenses, and piercing it right through its two star mark. Cracks then began emanating from the stab wound, which then spread all over the monster, cracking its armour… Then, it exploded, raining fragments of stone and rock dust, everywhere.

The Elite Four found themselves shielding themselves from the flying rubble; when it stopped, they all looked up, to see Ryuko lying on the ground. As they all ran towards her in concern, Ryuko slowly sat up, and shook debris off of herself.

“Matoi, are you all right?” asked Gamagori.

“I’m fine,” replied Ryuko, as she got to her feet, with the help of her Scarf Blade. “The explosion just caught me off guard, that’s all.”

As the dust settled around them, all five of them cautiously headed towards of the centre of the blast radius, where the monster once stood. As they gathered around the area and looked down, all of them found their eyes widening, in shock.

“I know who that is,” said Ryuko slowly. “That’s…”

“Takaharu Fukuroda,” finished Sanageyama quietly. “Former Captain of the Honnouji Academy Boxing Club…”

As they stared at the unconscious, naked figure in silent shock, the moment was suddenly broken by a muffled voice: _“Don’t lose your waaaa–”_

Hastily, Ryuko pulled out her phone and excused herself, as she tried to avoid the Elite Four’s pointed stares.

As soon as she was out of earshot of the others, Ryuko answered her phone. “Hello? …Oh, hi Satsuki… Um yeah, everything is fine over here,” she replied, casting a concerned glance at the unconscious Fukuroda. “How are things going in Africa?”

“Fine as well,” replied Satsuki, as behind her, Rei slung a pack loaded with supplies over her shoulder. “We’re just about ready to start our expedition into the jungle.”

“Well, good luck on finding whatever it is you’re looking for, sis.” Behind Ryuko, EMTs had placed Fukuroda onto a stretcher, and brought him into the nearby hospital, while the Elite Four were helping to clean up the area.

“Thank you,” said Satsuki earnestly. “Actually, there’s another reason I decided to call you, Ryuko…”

“Hmmm?”

“There’s something I might need your help with…”

TO BE CONT...

Next chapter: "Rage Against the Machine"


	2. Rage Against the Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at the first Life Fiber mutant that Ryuko and Satsuki fought.

At a hospital in downtown Tokyo, Takaharu Fukuroda lay unconscious on a bed, in one of the emergency wards. Outside his room, stood the Elite Four looking worried, while nearby, Ryuko was addressing a short figure with blond hair, who was wearing a lab coat.  
  
“So what did you find out?” asked Ryuko.  
  
The person in the lab coat pulled down his surgical mask, revealing the familiar face of Shiro Iori; he then sighed aloud.  
  
“Well, there’s no doubt that Fukoroda’s DNA has been mutated by Life Fibers,” replied Iori. “I’ve managed to stablize his condition so he’ll stay human, but I have no idea how long that will last.”  
  
“Then it’s a good thing that those transformation rings you made for us worked then,” murmured Gamagori, as he glanced at the one on his finger.  
  
“Of course they worked,” retorted Iori. He held up a hand, showing that he was wearing a similar, orange gemmed ring on his left pinkie. “Just keep in mind that I had to make these rings from what very few Life Fibers were still left on Earth, so they might not be as effective as your old Goku uniforms.” He then ran the same hand nervously through his short blond hair.  
  
“Anyways… I was also able to find out what happened to Fukuroda before he mutated,” Iori added. “He had apparently been a frequent visitor at this hospital lately; but earlier today, eyewitnesses saw him run out of the building, looking very agitated. The nursing staff had actually noticed this earlier, and offered to have him see a doctor, but he had refused.”  
  
“Well, at least that mutation cure you’ve made seems to be working for now,” said Ryuko, as Iori nodded. She then leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. “Satsuki did call me earlier and wanted me to join her expedition to Africa, but I didn’t feel right about going right now, not with all these Life Fiber mutants turning up… She understood, though.”  
  
“My mutation cure isn’t as effective as I had hoped, though,” said Iori, with another sigh. “It only seems to prevent those who have mutated into transforming again; it’s a shame I can’t use it to immunize others…”  
  
Sanageyama patted him on the shoulder. “We know you’re doing what you can, pal.”  
  
“It is too bad though,” mused Ryuko. “We might’ve been able to prevent what happened today, too.” She glanced through the door of the nearby room, as the others followed her gaze. “Though I guess it wouldn’t have stopped it from happening the first time…”  
  
Ryuko’s gaze had fallen upon the bed across from Fukuroda, upon which another figure lay… It was still hard for her to believe that it had only been less than a week, since this whole mess had started…  
  
***  
  
It was indeed just a few days ago, when both Ryuko and Satsuki had walked out of an impressively tall office building in downtown Tokyo; as they did so, they strolled past a sign that said ‘Takarada Syndicate: Tokyo Branch’.  
  
“I’m kind of surprised you’ve been offering Takarada all those deals with REVOCS,” commented Ryuko to Satsuki. “Though it is awfully nice of you to do so.”  
  
Satsuki shrugged. “It’s the least I could do, especially since the Takarada family bankrupted itself funding Nudist Beach; they could certainly use the extra business.” A somewhat guilty expression then crossed her face. “And well… I know it isn’t much, but I feel I have to make up for destroying most of Osaka, during the school raid trip.”  
  
Ryuko patted Satsuki on the back. “Well, at least you’re trying, and I appreciate that, sis,” she said with a smile, which Satsuki returned.  
  
Ryuko’s expression then turned into a frown. “Though I don’t exactly appreciate that little stunt you pulled after the deal was done; what was up with that?”  
  
“I apologize for that, Ryuko,” said Satsuki, with a rather sheepish expression. “But what else was I supposed to do? Takarada actually tried to propose marriage to me, just because he thought we worked well together! I couldn’t exactly get his hopes up, could I?”  
  
“Yeah, but offering your ‘little sister’ instead? I mean, he’s actually a decent guy, underneath all that… Ugh… But that was so not cool!”  
  
“I’m really sorry about that,” apologized Satsuki. “But I had to defuse the situation somehow, and that was the only way I could think of, without offending the Takaradas; they may not have as much wealth as they used to, but they still have their power and influence. Besides, I knew Kaneo would never accept a marriage offer from you, even if you are my little sister, now… No offense.”  
  
“None taken,” muttered Ryuko, albeit a little grumpily.  
  
Satsuki then chuckled to herself; Ryuko also found that she couldn’t resist laughing a bit, as well.  
  
“Don’t tell me that’s the only reason you asked me along over here,” said Ryuko. “You know I’m not really interested working for REVOCS any time soon, since I’m pretty sure I’d be terrible at it.”  
  
“No, I actually do have another reason for asking you to come downtown,” said Satsuki, her expression turning serious, as both sisters got into a limo together.  
  
Ryuko raised an eyebrow. “Oh really? What’s that?”  
  
“I was hoping we could visit an old friend together,” replied Satsuki.  
  
***  
  
Moments later, the limo had pulled up to a well-maintained, two-story apartment building. As Satsuki led them up the stairs to a door on the second floor, Ryuko found herself wondering who they were visiting…  
  
She didn’t have to wait long, as the door opened, revealing a familiar face.  
  
Ryuko’s eyes widened in recognition. “Hey, you’re…”  
  
“Hello Fukuroda,” greeted Satsuki, as the boxer ran a hand nervously over his buzz-cut hair. “May we come in?”  
  
Fukuroda nodded hesistantly, and let them into the apartment, as the girls excused themselves; he then led them into the living room and offered them a seat.  
  
After politely offering the girls drinks, which both refused, Fukuroda gingerly sat in a chair across from Satsuki, while Ryuko remained standing, and leaned against the wall.  
  
“So what’s all this about, anyways?” asked Ryuko.  
  
Satsuki nodded encouragingly at Fukuroda, who had been wringing his hands nervously. “Why don’t you tell her what you told me, okay Fukuroda?”  
  
“Well…” began Fukuroda slowly. He then took a deep breath, and began to speak.  
  
“As you might recall, I’m dating Omiko… I mean, Hakodate at the moment,” he said with a blush, as Ryuko nodded. “And Lady Satsuki… I mean, Satsuki was kind enough to help us get scholarships for the sports program at this really great university here in Tokyo; she even found us nice places to stay at. So everything was going well for us, until…”  
  
“Until…?” prompted Ryuko.  
  
A frown then crossed Fukuroda’s face. “Omiko has been acting very strangely lately… She always seems to be angry at everyone; even at me, even in school! It’s almost like she’s acting the same way that she did at Honnouji Academy, so violently…” He then shook his head.  
  
“Anyways, she actually hurt another student at tennis practice recently; she said it was an accident, but…” Fukuroda shrugged helplessly. “And I’m afraid that if this goes on, Omiko will lose her scholarship, and get kicked out of the university!”  
  
He then turned to Satsuki, with a pleading look on his face. “Then I remembered Lady Satsuki telling us that we should call her if we had any problems, and since I wasn’t sure who else to turn to…”  
  
“I’m glad you did tell me, Fukuroda,” Satsuki reassured him, who breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
“So what is this? An intervention?” asked Ryuko.  
  
“I suppose you could call it that,” replied Satsuki, who then turned to Fukuroda. “Did you contact Hakodate, like I asked?”  
  
“I did, but I’m not sure she’ll like it,” sighed Fukuroda. “She should be here, at any moment now.” As if on cue, the doorbell rang.  
  
“That must be Omiko,” he said, looking nervous again. “I’ll go let her in.”  
  
Moments later, Hakodate walked into the living room, with Fukuroda trailing behind her. She looked about the same as Ryuko remembered her, with her long blonde hair tied in ponytails, and dressed in a sleeveless polo shirt and shorts; with a gym bag slung over her shoulder, it was clear that she had just come straight from the tennis court.  
  
“You know I don’t like being called away from practice so early, Takaharu,” growled Hakodate over her shoulder. “What’s this all about–” She then trailed off, as she noticed the presence of both Ryuko and Satsuki, and her irritated expression turned into a scowl.  
  
“So that’s it,” she muttered, then turned to face the guilty-looking Fukuroda. “What are they doing over here?”  
  
Fukuroda couldn’t seem to meet her burning gaze. “I was just hoping we could all have a talk together, Omiko,” he said, in a small voice.  
  
“Is that so?” said Hakodate sarcastically. She dropped her gym bag on the floor with a thud, then flopped bonelessly on a nearby couch. “How about if I don’t want to talk about it? How about that, hmmm?”  
  
“Omiko, please–”  
  
“Don’t Omiko me, Takaharu!” snapped Hakodate loudly, causing Fukuroda to cringe. “I bet you told them what happened at the university too, didn’t you? I can’t believe you involved them in my personal affairs!” she yelled, as she pointed a finger accusingly at the others.  
  
“But Omiko!” pleaded Fukuroda. “I’m just worried about you; you’ve been acting so strangely lately, and they just want to help!”  
  
“What if I don’t want their help, huh? Or yours, for that matter!”  
  
At this, Fukuroda looked crestfallen. “Surely you don’t mean that, Omiko!”  
  
“How dare you act so familiar with me, after what you’ve done! Besides, I’m not the only one who’s changed; you’ve become weak, Fukuroda!” said Hakodate coldly, as Fukuroda fell into a miserable silence. “You’ve lost your edge, your killer instinct… And I’m not sure I want to be with someone like you, any more.”  
  
“Omiko… How could you say that to me? After all that we’ve been through together…” said Fukuroda softly.  
  
Seeing his forlorn expression, Hakodate’s anger finally appeared to wane, and she seemed to come to her senses.  
  
“Takaharu…” she began, shaking her head. “What have I been saying? Of course I didn’t mean a word of it! Please, forgive me; I’ve… just not been feeling like myself, lately…”  
  
Hakodate held a hand out towards him pleadingly; Fukuroda was about to grasp her outstretched hand, when his eyes widened.  
  
“Omiko… Your hand. What’s that on your hand?”  
  
“Huh?” Hakodate held up her right hand, to see that red threads were hanging off of it. “What is this…?”  
  
At this, both Ryuko and Satsuki, who had remained silent until now, immediately became alert.  
  
Ryuko narrowed her eyes. “Those look like…”  
  
“Life Fibers,” finished Satsuki coolly. “Yes, they are.”  
  
Suddenly, Hakodate swept her right arm to the side, just barely missing hitting Fukuroda in the face.  
  
Fukuroda took a step back, in surprise. “Omiko, what–?”  
  
“I’m so sorry, Takaharu! I didn’t mean to do that!” protested Hakodate. “My arm did that on its own!” She tugged her outstretched arm frantically, causing the red threads that had lashed her arm to the wall, to become visible in the light.  
  
Seeing this, both Satsuki and Ryuko rose to their feet.  
  
“There’s no doubt, those are definitely Life Fibers!” said Satsuki.  
  
“Yeah, but where are they coming from?” asked Ryuko, looking dismayed. “And what are they doing to her?”  
  
Meanwhile, Fukuroda ducked again, as Hakodate’s other arm flew back, and strung itself to another wall with Life Fibers.  
  
“Takaharu! What’s happening to me?” asked Hakodate, the fear visible in her eyes. Fukuroda ran up to her, the same look mirrored upon his face.  
  
“I… don’t know!” Fukuroda grasped Hakodate by the shoulders. “But we’ll get you help… Somehow…” His voice then trailed off, as he looked down.  
  
“What’s wrong?” asked Hakodate, her eyes widening.  
  
“It’ll be okay, Omiko…” said Fukuroda softly, though he didn’t sound convincing at all. “Just calm down, okay?”  
  
Hakodate followed his terrified gaze, to see that Life Fibers were begining to wind around her feet, and were slowly moving up her body. Not surprisingly, she started to scream.  
  
Hearing this, both Satsuki and Ryuko ran forward to opposite sides of Hakodate, and attempted to rip off the Life Fibers binding her arms to the walls.  
  
“These are Life Fibers, all right,” growled Ryuko, as she tried to tear apart the strands, with little success. “If I only I still had my Scissor Blades with me!”  
  
“Keep trying!” said Satsuki. “We have to free her, somehow!”  
  
“Please help me!” pleaded Hakodate, with tears in her eyes.  
  
“We’re trying, Omiko!” said Fukuroda, who was frantically trying to pull off the Life Fibers from wrapping around her torso, and moving further up her body. “Just hang in there, okay?”  
  
But it was no use… All of them could only watch, horrified, as the red threads began to wind around Hakodate’s head, and started to wrap around her face, as well.  
  
“Takaharu–!” yelped Hakodate, before the Life Fibers completely covered her mouth from view.  
  
“Omiko!” cried Fukuroda, who was frantically trying to claw at the Life Fibers now cocooning his girlfriend. Meanwhile, both Satsuki and Ryuko took a step back, as the Life Fiber cocoon began pulsing and glowing with an eerie light.  
  
Ryuko grasped Fukuroda by the shoulder. “C'mon man, I think we need to back away from this thing, like, right now!”  
  
“But– Omiko!” protested Fukuroda.  
  
“Ryuko’s right, we shouldn’t be standing this close!” agreed Satsuki. “Come on!”  
  
Casting a final, plaintive glance at the Life Fiber coccoon, Fukuroda shut his eyes, then ducked behind the furniture, with Ryuko and Satsuki.  
  
Just then, the coccoon glowed a deep red; then it exploded, spraying fragments of Life Fibers everywhere. As the dust had settled, everyone looked up tentatively, to see the room covered in smoke, with Life Fiber threads hanging off everywhere.  
  
It was then that the smoke parted, and a familiar figure stepped out of the debris.  
  
Fukuroda’s eyes widened. “Omiko…?”  
  
The figure was recognizable as Omiko Hakodate, but just barely; she looked more like a corrupted version of herself. Her skin was a sickly green, while her eyes were an eerie yellow; and her hair and legs looked like they had been dipped in blood. But that wasn’t the most disturbing thing about her…  
  
“She looks like she’s wearing her old Goku uniform…” murmured Ryuko, in shock. “But how is that possible?” Satsuki’s eyes narrowed, at those words.  
  
Hakodate was indeed wearing what appeared to be her old 2-star tennis uniform, but it was torn in places, and seemed to have fused to her body in unfortunate ways: the scope over her right eye had cracked, her oversized racquet had fused with her right arm; plus, there were tennis balls stuck all over her left leg, making them look unpleasantly like boils.

  
Despite his girlfriend’s now monstrous form, Fukuroda stepped out of his hiding place, and slowly walked towards her.  
  
“Omiko?” he repeated aloud. As the figure turned to face Fukuroda, he almost looked relieved. “You remember me, right? It’s me, Takaharu–”  
  
Just then, Satsuki dived at Fukuroda and shoved him aside, just as Hakodate smashed her huge tennis racquet arm, right where he was standing.  
  
“Are you all right?” asked Satsuki, as Fukuroda nodded mutely. “I know that may look like Hakodate, but she’s not exactly herself, understand?” He could only stare at her blankly, as Ryuko approached Satsuki.  
  
“What are we going to do about Hakodate?” whispered Ryuko. “There’s no telling what damage she’s going to do, in that state!”  
  
“Are you wearing your transformation ring, like I asked?” asked Satsuki.  
  
Ryuko glanced at the ring on her left hand. “Yeah, but…” Her eyes then widened. “Wait, we’re going to use these on her? But they haven’t even been field tested yet!”  
  
“Well, this is as good a time as any to try them out, isn’t it?”  
  
Ryuko sighed. “I guess you’ve got a point, there.”  
  
Both of them then both held up their ring hands, and cried out: “Life Fiber Transformation! 5-Star Generals!”  
  
As Ryuko held up her left hand, Life Fibers streamed from the red gem on her thumb, enveloping her, then engulfing her in flames. “5-Star Hellion Regalia!”  
  
Meanwhile, Satsuki had placed her right hand below her left shoulder, as Life Fibers spun out from the blue gem on her thumb; a brilliant flash of golden light then gleamed behind her. “5-Star Valkyrie Regalia!”

  
Now fully transformed, Ryuko tugged the red scarf off of her neck, and shook it out until it turned into a blade, while Satsuki drew a katana blade almost identical to Bakuzan, save for the Life Fiber tassel hanging from its hilt.  
  
“Any other suggestions?” muttered Ryuko, as the mutated Hakodate stared at them with narrowed eyes.  
  
Just then, Hakodate raised her left arm, upon which she wore a spiked Life Fiber bracelet; the fibers in it then stretched and wrapped around her arm, forming what looked suspiciously like a cannon with spikes around it, aimed directly at them.  
  
Satsuki’s eyes widened. “Duck!”  
  
She and Ryuko dove in opposite directions, as mutant Hakodate began shooting the room with high-speed tennis balls. As they both ducked behind furniture, the balls began rebounding across the room, destroying pretty much anything that was in their path.  
  
Meanwhile, Ryuko had rolled behind an overturned couch where Fukuroda was also hiding, as he hugged his knees with his arms.  
  
“Are you okay?” asked Ryuko. Fukuroda nodded, but with the same blank look he wore earlier; Ryuko stared at him worriedly. However, she then looked up, as she heard the barrage of tennis balls head in the other direction, towards where Satsuki was hiding.  
  
Gritting her teeth, Ryuko gripped her Scarf Blade; the blade then widened, causing it to resemble something more like a racquet. Armed with this modified weapon, she leapt up from her hiding place, and began sprinting in Satsuki’s direction.  
  
Noticing this, the mutant Hakodate began shooting tennis balls at Ryuko instead; Ryuko then began deflecting this barrage with her Scarf Blade, as she ran towards Satsuki.  
  
Just as Ryuko ducked behind the kitchen counter where Satsuki was hiding, she noticed a rebounding ball graze Hakodate on the forehead, causing her to visibly flinch.  
  
Ryuko knelt beside Satsuki, who was also crouched behind the counter. “Did you see that?” she whispered, as tennis balls sped by over their heads.  
  
“Yes,” replied Satsuki. “She definitely flinched when that ball hit her on the forehead.”  
  
“Shall we aim all our attacks over there, then?” asked Ryuko, smirking.  
  
“After you,” said Satsuki, with a knowing smile of her own.  
  
Both of them got to their feet, and began deflecting the incoming balls with their blades, making certain to aim them at Hakodate’s forehead.  
  
Startled, the mutated Hakodate stopped shooting, choosing instead to return the balls with her racquet arm. However, her oversized weapon proved far too unwieldy to keep up with the barrage; stray balls began making it through, hitting her on the forehead, and pushing her back.  
  
“We’ve almost got her!” cried Ryuko.  
  
“Agreed! Just one more shot!” said Satsuki.  
  
Just then, a pair of tennis balls sailed in; both of them hit them with their blades as hard as they could, at the same time. “Double Overhead Smash!”  
  
The two tennis balls proved far too quick for Hakodate to return; both of them hit her directly on her sun visor, right on the 2-star mark.  
  
There was a flash of blinding light, causing both Ryuko and Satsuki to look away; when they looked back, they were relieved to see that Hakodate had turned back to normal, except that she was now completely naked. She then collapsed, causing both girls to run forward, to catch her.  
  
Satsuki reached Hakodate first; kneeling beside her prone form, she checked her pulse and breathing.  
  
“Is she okay?” asked Ryuko worriedly.  
  
“She’ll be fine,” replied Satsuki. As Ryuko breathed a sigh of relief, Satsuki discreetly covered Hakodate’s naked body with a fallen curtain. “I’ll go call an ambulance for Hakodate.  Meanwhile, you might want to check on Fukuroda…”  
  
Ryuko glanced back where she last saw Fukuroda, to still see him sitting in the same spot behind the couch, with the same blank expression on his face.  
  
Ryuko winced to herself. “Poor guy…”  
  
She walked over and touched him tentatively on the shoulder, as Fukuroda looked up at her with tormented eyes.  
  
“How’s Omiko?” he asked hoarsely.  
  
“She’s fine,” Ryuko reassured him. Fukuroda nodded, although his blank expression didn’t change, which was beginning to worry Ryuko.  
  
“Why don’t we go outside for some fresh air, huh?” she added gently. Helping Fukuroda to his feet, she led him outside, and away from what remained of his apartment.  
  
***  
  
It didn’t take long, before an ambulance arrived in front of Fukuroda’s apartment building. Ryuko and Satsuki looked on, as paramedics carried out Hakodate in a stretcher.  
  
“How’s Fukuroda doing?” asked Satsuki, in a low voice.  
  
“He seems to be taking it pretty hard,” admitted Ryuko. “Then again, I can’t blame him… Even after all we’ve been through, watching your girlfriend turn into violent monster? That would be hard for anyone to handle…”  
  
“And yet, you don’t seem to be too surprised about it, do you, Lady Satsuki?” said a cold voice behind them.  
  
Hearing this, both girls turned, to see Fukuroda glaring at them.  
  
Ryuko frowned. “What are you talking about, Fukuroda?”  
  
Fukuroda seemed to ignore Ryuko; instead, he walked up to Satsuki, and met her gaze.  
  
“You knew. You knew this was going to happen to Omiko, didn’t you?” he said, his voice full of barely contained fury. “That’s why you just happened to be wearing those transformation rings, huh? To help put down the monster?”  
  
“Now, wait a minute!” protested Ryuko, as she got between them both. “These rings were made to fight Life Fibers, just in case they came back to Earth!”  
  
“Who says they aren’t back now?” retorted Fukuroda. “And she clearly knows something about it!” he added, pointing an accusing finger at Satsuki.  
  
Ryuko’s eyes narrowed. “Listen here! We just saved you and your girlfriend’s life, you ungrateful, little–”  
  
“Stop it, Ryuko,” said Satsuki quietly, causing Ryuko to fall silent. Satsuki then turned to Fukuroda.  
  
“I must admit, I did suspect something was very wrong with Hakodate when we came to visit,” she told him, causing Ryuko to look at her uncertainly. “However, I had no idea that something this serious would happen to her.”  
  
“You expect me to believe that?” snapped Fukuroda. “From the great and mighty Lady Satsuki, who knows all?”  
  
At this, Satsuki’s face remained expressionless. “Please understand, we only wanted to help,” she replied, in a quiet voice.  
  
“Well, we’ve had enough of your help, Lady Satsuki!” snarled Fukuroda. “In fact, I don’t want to see you anywhere near us, ever again!”  
  
Turning on his heel, he stomped off towards the ambulance. Ryuko took a step towards him, but Satsuki held her back.  
  
“Don’t,” she warned Ryuko. “There’s no point in trying to reason with someone, when they’re this upset.”  
  
“Are you sure it’s all right to leave them alone like that, after all that’s just happened?” asked Ryuko worriedly, as they walked back to the limo.  
  
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure keep an eye on them, even if they don’t want me to,” replied Satsuki. “I only want to make sure that they stay safe.”  
  
Meanwhile, Fukuroda had climbed into the ambulance with his unconscious girlfriend. As the doors closed, a single Life Fiber thread could be seen hanging from his clenched fist…

TO BE CONT...

Next chapter: "The Cure"


	3. The Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes discuss the new threat of Life Fiber mutations, and try to figure out a way to cure them.

In the drawing room of Kiryuin Manor, a group of familiar faces sat around the room, as Soroi served them all tea. The Elite Four sat in various states of ease on the expensive furniture, while Satsuki sat on a plush armchair, with Iori and Rei at her sides. Meanwhile, Ryuko leaned against the wall a little behind Satsuki, clearly not quite comfortable with all the luxury around her.  
  
But even as everyone casually sipped their tea, there was a tension in the room that was palpable in the air.  
  
_Just like old times_ , Ryuko couldn’t help thinking to herself. She tried to shove the thought out of her mind.  
  
Sanageyama decided to break the uneasy silence.  
  
“So what’s this all about, Lady Satsuki…” he began, then corrected himself. “Er, Satsuki?”  
  
“Yes, surely you didn’t call us all here just for tea,” added Gamagori. “Not with such a grim expression on your face.”  
  
“I must confess, the tea was my idea,” interjected Soroi politely, pausing in his task of pouring. “I though it might soften the blow of the imminent bad news.”  
  
Jakuzure raised an eyebrow. “Bad news? What bad news?”  
  
Satsuki finally spoke, as a sigh escaped her lips.  
  
“I’m afraid that that one of our worst fears have come to pass,” she began.  
  
At this, Inumuta narrowed his eyes. “Have the Life Fibers returned to Earth?”  
  
“Not… Exactly.”  
  
Satsuki then began to describe what had happened when she and Ryuko had visited Fukuroda, and about Hakodate’s bizarre transformation; as the others listened, their eyes grew wide with disbelief.  
  
“Did you say… Life Fiber mutation?” asked Sanageyama uneasily.  
  
Satsuki nodded. “That’s right. It seems that former students from Honnouji Academy have the potential to mutate into monsters, due to their long-term exposure to Life Fibers.”  
  
“What did this mutation look like?” asked Jakuzure, curious despite herself.  
  
“It looked like…” Satsuki paused, then cast a glance at Ryuko behind her. “A lot like the time when Ryuko went berserk, at the Sudden Death Runoff, actually…”  
  
At this, Ryuko looked up, startled. “Is _that_ what I looked like?” She then grimaced. “That’s an image I could do without…”  
  
Iori then cleared his throat politely, causing everyone to turn.  
  
“Through my research, I’ve determined that only those students who wore uniforms with 20% Life Fibers or higher, were exposed just enough that their DNA could be mutated in such a negative way,“ stated Iori. “Fortunately, that eliminates this happening to any of the no-stars or 1-stars… But that still leaves all the 2-star club captains and presidents as potential mutants, I’m afraid.”  
  
Satsuki turned to Iori. “Do you think you can develop a cure?”  
  
“I’ll do what I can, but I’ll need blood samples from the affected person,” replied Iori.  
  
“You will have them,” said Satsuki firmly.  
  
“I’m going to keep an eye on former Honnouji students who have the potential to mutate,” added Inumuta, as he typed furiously on his laptop. “I’ll also ask around and see if any of the other students have reported any strange or violent behaviour, from their former classmates.”  
  
“Wait a minute!” exclaimed Gamagori, as everyone turned to look at him. “Didn’t Iori say that 2-stars or higher have a chance to mutate? Doesn’t that mean that us Elite Four, as former 3-stars, could mutate as well?”  
  
As the others looked uneasy, a calm voice interrupted them.  
  
“We can’t worry about that now,” said Inumuta, without pausing in his typing.  
  
“How can you say that?” snapped Jakuzure. “Aren’t you worried about mutating, yourself?”  
  
“No, he’s right,” said a quiet voice. Everyone turned, to see Satsuki, looking stern. “It is far more important that we protect the populace from possible mutations, and we can’t do that if we’re worrying only about ourselves.” The rest of the Elite Four looked uncertain, but nodded.  
  
“If, heaven forbid, any of us _do_ mutate… Then we will cross that bridge when we come to it,” added Satsuki firmly. Behind her, Ryuko narrowed her eyes.  
  
“In the meantime, I’m going to devote all of REVOCS’s resources into finding a cure for this mutation,” continued Satsuki. “It’s the least I could do… Especially since I am wholly responsible for putting former Honnouji students into this predicament, in the first place.”  
  
“I would have to advise against concentrating all the company’s resources in such an endeavour though,” warned Rei, as she flipped through a clipboard. “Among other things, it’ll delay us from cleaning up the sunken remains of Honno Town, from Tokyo Bay… It’ll be bad PR for the company, all around.”  
  
At this, Ryuko frowned. “How can you be so heartless, Hououmaru?” she snapped. “Don’t you care about what happens to those poor students?”  
  
Rei met her gaze; Ryuko got the impression that she’d be adjusting her sunglasses, if she still wore them.

“It’s not that I don’t care,” she replied primly. “As the current Vice President of REVOCS, I have to think about what’s best for the company, as well. REVOCS had to remake its entire image after the whole Life Fiber debacle, and it’s only thanks to Lady Satsuki’s efforts that the company has recovered, at all.”  
  
Rei then turned to Satsuki. “However, you are still the CEO of REVOCS, Lady Satsuki… And if you wish to devote all of the company’s resources into finding a mutation cure, then I will support you in your efforts.”  
  
“Please, make it so,” replied Satsuki. Rei nodded, and bowed. Satsuki then turned to the rest of the room.  
  
“As for the rest of you, you know what to do,” said Satsuki coolly. “We will protect this world from this new threat, as best as we can. Dismissed!”  
  
Everyone bowed their heads, then left the room in an orderly fashion. As the room emptied out, Satsuki finally rose to her feet, only to see Ryuko still leaning against the wall.  
  
Satsuki raised an impressive eyebrow at her. “You look thoughtful, Ryuko… Something on your mind?”  
  
Ryuko met her gaze. “Did you know that Hakodate would mutate, when we went to visit her?” she asked bluntly.  
  
At this, Satsuki closed her eyes, and sighed.  
  
“I suspected that something of the sort might happen, yes,” she admitted. As Ryuko glared back, Satsuki raised a hand to stop her.

“Please, let me finish. Yes, I had suspected… But only suspected. You see, we had originally run several simulations on the long-term effects of Life Fibers on its wearers, but we had no idea which of the outcomes would actually occur, or how dangerous the effects would be… Though I have to confess, this was one of the worst possible outcomes…”  
  
Seeing the look of genuine concern on Satsuki’s face, Ryuko ran a hand through her red-streaked hair.  
  
“All right, I’ll take your word for it,” she replied grumpily. “But you need to trust in me too, sis… I don’t like finding out about this, after the shit has already hit the fan, you know?”  
  
“I’m sorry, Ryuko,” said Satsuki earnestly. “I have to admit though, old habits are hard to break…”  
  
“I can relate. Still, I really don’t want to see you acting like Her Majesty, Lady Satsuki again.”  
  
“Hardly. Not with my little sister keeping me in line,” replied Satsuki, with a smile. Ryuko couldn’t resist grinning back, despite herself.  
  
“By the way Ryuko, do you have some time to spare?” asked Satsuki.  
  
Ryuko glanced at her phone. “I have a few hours to kill before dinner, why?”  
  
“I was hoping to visit another mutual acquaintaince of ours, together.”  
  
“Yeah, sure.” Ryuko tried not to grimace outwardly. _I hope this goes better than the last time we visited someone together…_

***  
  
And so, Ryuko found herself accompanying Satsuki to another highrise office building downtown, though one not quite as nice as one belonging to the Takaradas’. As they both were ushered into another office, Ryuko thought she caught a glimpse of a familiar looking logo, before entering the room…  
  
Ryuko’s eyes widened slightly, at the person standing beside the desk. “Oh. It’s you…”  
  
Aikuro Mikisugi grinned at her. “I was hoping for a somewhat warmer greeting, Ryuko.”  
  
Ryuko shrugged. “I’m just surprised you’re actually wearing clothes, for once.”  
  
Mikisugi glanced down at the lab coat he was wearing over his shirt and tie, and laughed lightly. “Well yes, clothes are a necessity if you’re trying to look legitimate and business-like, I’m afraid. But if it’d make you more comfortable, I could take off my shirt, for old times’ sake…” he went on, as his lab coat slowly slipped off his shoulders.  
  
“How about I just punch you in the face, ‘for old times’ sake’?” retorted Ryuko, waving said fist in his face.  
  
Mikisugi sighed, and adjusted his lab coat. “After all this time, I really had hoped you’d developed more of a sense of humour, Ryuko…”  
  
Satsuki cleared her throat. “With those pleasantries out of the way… I’m interested in acquiring some information from you, Mikisugi-san,” she said politely.  
  
“Certainly.” Mikisugi walked behind his desk and sat down. “Nudist Beach… Excuse me, NB HQ, might not need to fight Life Fibers anymore, but we still want to carry on Isshin Matoi’s work; even if it is just in scientific research and development.”  
  
“And it is that research that I’m interested in now,” said Satsuki firmly. “What do you know about Life Fiber mutations?”

Mikisugi raised an eyebrow. “So I’m guessing it’s true… That Life Fibers can mutate human DNA?”  
  
Satsuki nodded grimly. “It seems that one of our former students from Honnouji Academy has has their DNA altered, from prolonged wearing of Life Fibers… And we fear that they won’t be the only one.”  
  
“And I’m telling you right now, the effects aren’t pretty,” added Ryuko.  
  
Mikisugi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Well, we’ve always known that Life Fibers had the potential to alter our DNA, especially since we’ve theorized that they were responsible for human evolution… But apart from that, we know very little about such mutations; Dr. Matoi had mentioned that such a thing _was_ possible, but never went into any specifics, you see… Since we were far more concerned about saving the world from Life Fibers at the time.”  
  
Satsuki sighed. “I was afraid you’d say something like that.”  
  
“So you made kids wear Life Fibers, and now they’re turning into monsters, are they?” said a cynical voice behind them.  
  
Both girls turned, to see Tsumugu Kinagase leaning on the open door frame, while lighting a cigarette.  
  
Ryuko glared at him. “Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?”  
  
Tsumugu seemed to ignore her crack, and met Satsuki’s eyes.  
  
“You thought you could turn teenagers into weapons, by making them wear a dangerous alien life form… Now _they’re_ paying the price, and you have the balls to come to us for help? Nice. Real nice.” Satsuki remained silent.  
  
Ryuko leapt to her feet. “Listen here, asshole! We saved the world, by wearing those alien life forms! And it’s not like Satsuki always knew that those Life Fibers would turn the students into monsters!”  
  
Tsumugu shrugged. “Whatever. Just don’t expect me to help clean up the mess you’ve made.” He turned his back on them, and walked back out into the hallway.  
  
“Jerk,” growled Ryuko. “He hasn’t changed much, has he?”  
  
“Don’t mind him,” said Mikisugi lightly. “He’s been touchy ever since NB HQ turned into a purely scientific research facility. To be honest, I’ll bet he’d be happy to be able to fight Life Fibers again, in any form.”  
  
“Huh, could’ve fooled me,” muttered Ryuko.

“Anyways, I’m sorry that we couldn’t be much help with your problem,” apologized Mikisugi, running a hand uneasily through his hair. “But I’ll see what information I can dig up; I’ll also look through Dr. Matoi’s old research and see if there’s anything useful there. If I find out anything, I’ll be sure to let you know.”  
  
“Thank you, Mikisugi-san,” replied Satsuki politely. “We could use all the help we can get.”

Both of them stood up and shook hands; then Mikisugi escorted both girls to the door.  
  
However, just as Ryuko was about to leave the room, Mikisugi tapped her on the shoulder.  
  
“Before you go, do you mind if I have a word with you, Ryuko?” he asked.  
  
Ryuko gave him a suspicious look, then cast a glance at Satsuki.  
  
“Go ahead,” said Satsuki. “I’ll just wait out here.”  
  
Ryuko then shrugged her shoulders at Mikisugi. “Okay, whatever.” She then followed him back into his office.  
  
As the door closed behind her, Ryuko crossed her arms and leaned on it. “If you start stripping Mikisugi, I swear to God, I’ll kick your ass, right now!” she growled.  
  
“Easy!” protested Mikisugi, holding up his hands. “I just wanted to give you something in private, all right?”  
  
“Give me something?” asked Ryuko, looking wary. “And you couldn’t do that in front of Satsuki?”  
  
Mikisugi walked up to his desk and opened a drawer. “Well, I suppose I could have, but considering it was from your father, I thought I should deliver to you, personally…”  
  
Ryuko’s eyes widened. “Something… From my dad?”  
  
“Yup.” Mikisugi pulled something unseen out of the drawer, then walked up to Ryuko, and placed it in her hand.  
  
Ryuko glanced at it. It was made of black and red plastic, and fit in the palm of her hand. “What is this?” she asked.  
  
“It’s a pen drive,” replied Mikisugi. “I found it in an envelope in Dr. Matoi’s things, saying that it was for you, to be given on your 18th birthday. I’m guessing it’s a message of some sort… Don’t worry, I didn’t look at it!” he added, before she could protest. “Besides, your birthday is coming up, isn’t it Ryuko?”  
  
“Next month, actually,” murmured Ryuko, still staring at the object in her hand.  
  
“Well, I’m glad I got it to you, just in case I forgot,” said Mikisugi, with a smile.  
  
“Uh yeah… Thanks a lot,” replied Ryuko honestly.  
  
Mikisugi gave her a gentle pat on the shoulder, then walked her back outside his office.  
  
***  
  
As both girls walked out of the office building together, Satsuki turned to Ryuko.  
  
“So Ryuko, if you don’t mind me asking… What did Mikisugi want to talk to you about?”  
  
“Oh, right.” Ryuko paused, and then shrugged; there was no harm in telling Satsuki about it. “Apparently, my dad… Well, I guess, our dad… Left some sort of message for me, on this thing,” she explained, holding up the pen drive. “Though I’m actually supposed to read it, on my 18th birthday…”  
  
“That’s not till next month though,” mused Satsuki.  
  
“That’s right.” Ryuko raised her eyebrows. “I’m kind of surprised you remembered.”  
  
“Well, you are my sister,” Satsuki pointed out.  
  
“Yeah, I guess you would be the type to remember all your friends’s birthdays, huh?” grinned Ryuko, while Satsuki tried not to blush.  
  
Ryuko then looked down at the pen drive in her hand. “I know I should wait to read it, but I’m half tempted just to go ahead and read it now…”  
  
Satsuki raised an eyebrow. “Why not wait?”  
  
Ryuko shrugged. “I dunno. I guess it’s because I don’t know all that much about my father, really. He was always so busy with his research… And I’ve always been kind of curious to know what he was really like.”  
  
Satsuki glanced at Ryuko’s wistful expression. “Well, I’m not sure if this would help,” Satsuki said slowly, “but I could tell you a bit about father, as I knew him, back when I was a child.”  
  
Ryuko’s eyes widened. “What, really?”

“Certainly. Just not right now… I probably should to get back to the office soon.”  
  
Ryuko sighed. “All right… But I’m holding you to that promise, okay?”  
  
“Understood,” replied Satsuki, with a smile. She then pulled out her phone, and glanced at it.  
  
“Well, I really should head over to REVOCS now… Hououmaru has been searching through the company’s old files all afternoon; hopefully, she’s come up with some information we could use.”  
  
Ryuko nodded. “I’d better be getting back, too; if I leave now, I should be home, just in time for dinner.”  
  
Satsuki smiled knowingly. “Mystery croquettes again?” she asked.  
  
Ryuko grinned. “Of course. The best in the world!”  
  
Both girls then waved goodbye to each other, and went their separate ways.

***

Meanwhile, back at REVOCS, Rei Hououmaru sat at the computer in her office, slowly browsing through the files belonging to her former employer. There was a lot of information to process, though; and even with her high security clearance, she wasn’t able to access all of Ragyo Kiryuin’s personal files. So she sorted through what she could, trying to wring a scrap of information about Life Fiber mutations from them, but with very little success.  
  
Rei rubbed her tired eyes and sighed. Perhaps she should take a break and take her mind off this problem, even though she was reluctant to do so…  
  
A stray thought then occurred to her. Shrugging, she typed something into the database, and pulled up the results… But as she did so, her eyes widened considerably.  
  
Just then, she heard her office door open. Rei found herself hastily closing the window she was browsing, just as Satsuki Kiryuin entered the room.  
  
“Find anything useful in my mother’s old files, Hououmaru?” asked Satsuki, as she walked up to the desk.  
  
“Nothing relevant to the current problem, I’m afraid,” admitted Rei reluctantly. She shoved aside the thought of what she had just read, and kept her expression neutral. “It doesn’t help that I haven’t been able open all of Ragyo’s locked files, even with my old security clearance.”  
  
Satsuki leaned over and glanced at the monitor. “Hmmm… Well, we never did go through all of mother’s encrypted files, simply because we were all too busy trying to get REVOCS up and running again… Still, I might be able to help you with that problem.”  
  
Reaching into her briefcase, Satsuki pulled out a cyan coloured pen drive, and plugged it into the computer.  
  
Rei raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?” she asked, as a window opened on the monitor, and began scrolling code across the screen.  
  
“One of Inumuta’s encryption code breakers,” replied Satsuki, with a smile. “Though technically, he’s not a hacker anymore… He still enjoys the work though, even if he is reluctant to admit it.”  
  
It took only a few moments for the hacking program to unlock the encrypted files; Satsuki then pulled up a chair beside Rei, and they both began browsing through the new information,  together.  
  
Behind them, the plate glass window showing an impressive view of the city skyline slowly faded from sunset to night, as they both tried in vain to find some relevant information about Life Fiber mutations.  
  
It was totally dark outside, when Satsuki finally pointed out something on the monitor. “Hououmaru, take a look at this,” she said quietly.  
  
“Hmmm?” Rei had been rubbing her eyes again; she had been in front of the computer all afternoon, and now, all evening, as well. She then peered at the words that Satsuki had pointed out on the screen.  
  
“What’s this… A ‘Life Fiber artifact?’” read Rei, aloud.  
  
Satsuki nodded. “I’ve seen references to it over and over, throughout mother’s files.”  
  
“But I’ve never heard of Ragyo speak of such an thing,” said Rei. “Do you really think that such an item would be able to help with our current problem?”  
  
“I hope so,” replied Satsuki, as she scrolled down the screen. “This artifact seems very powerful; and it sounds like it may have the ability to control Life Fibers themselves…”  
  
Rei frowned. “If that’s correct, then why did Ragyo never use it herself? Pardon me, Lady Satsuki, but it sounds almost too dangerous to use.”  
  
Satsuki sighed. “That may well be true… But it’s the only lead we have at the moment.  Besides, if this artifact can actually control Life Fibers, then perhaps it can also prevent them from mutating humans, as well.”  
  
“I hope you’re right, Lady Satsuki,” murmured Rei, though her tone was a bit doubtful.  
  
“So do I,” admitted Satsuki, with another sigh, as she continued to scroll down the screen. “After skimming through all of these files, I’ve surmised that this so-called artifact is located somewhere in Africa… And I think I’ve finally discovered its actual location.”  
  
Satsuki brought up the image of a map on the monitor, and pointed at a marked location.  
  
Hououmaru peered at the screen. “Looks like there’s nothing over there but jungle… Wait. I think I recognize this place,” said Rei, as she scrolled through images of the location. “I believe Ragyo had considered this area as a possible spot to build a another REVOCS facility, but nothing actually came of it…”  
  
Satsuki raised an eyebrow. “Or perhaps she knew what secrets that place actually held. Does that mean you’re familiar with the area?”  
  
“Only a bit,” Rei admitted. “We just flew over in a helicopter. But it’s nothing but dense jungle over there; we’ll need plenty of supplies and preparation if we even want to consider an expedition into the area.”  
  
“Then I’d better get started on travel arrangements,” said Satsuki, rising to her feet. “Will you accompany me, Hououmaru?”  
  
“Of course, Lady Satsuki.” Rei bowed her head.  
  
“You should head home and get some rest, then.”  
  
Rei shook her head. “Not quite yet. I was hoping to look through these files a little bit longer; perhaps there’s something else we’ve missed.”  
  
Satsuki frowned slightly. “I appreciate your diligence, but don’t work too hard, Hououmaru… I want you rested, before we set off on our trip.”  
  
“I promise I’ll head back home, in half an hour.”  
  
“I’ll hold you to that. I do control the security cameras in this place… And the security personnel, as well,” said Satsuki, with a wry smile.  
  
“Duly noted.”  
  
Satsuki nodded, then left Hououmaru’s office, shutting the door behind her.  
  
As soon as she was alone, Rei looked thoughtful, then found herself looking up the file she came across earlier; the one that she closed, when Satsuki had entered the room. She stared at it for quite some time… Then, taking a deep breath, she deleted the file.  
  
Just before the file was erased, the letters MANKAN briefly appeared on the screen, before they completely disappeared…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the necessary info dump chapter. ;P Next chapter is the beginning of focusing primarily on individual characters, starting with Sanageyama.


End file.
